first bees today

[rink123]

Hi all,
I am very happy I have bought some bees today. They came in a super with about 10 frames .The man that I got them from is 78 and has kept bees all his life . He wrapped the super in a blanket and we took them home.He said to put the super on the floor and place the brood box above when the bees move up {which he asured me they will} then swap the super and brood box over so the brood box is then on the bottom. He said the bees we have were some that swarmed from his hive and they are very calm and friendly. I have done what he told me, has any one else ever done this? there were quite a few on the blanket so I put it up to the entrance and they have all gone in to the hive. It's their first night here and I am hoping when I wake tomorrow they will still be there. The man is self taught and never marks queens ,I wondered if she has swarmed once is she likely to go again? do I feed them tomorrow?
Any advise will be greatly appreciated thanks for reading
Russ

 

[oliver90owner]

if she has swarmed once is she likely to go again?

Not likely.

do I feed them tomorrow?

If there is a good flow, no, although a small amount will help to retain them in the hive (especially if a cast). If not, yes. They have a lot of work to do to draw a brood box with foundation and it is getting late in the year.

If they are a very recently swarmed colony (and a prime) and have no brood, I would shake them into the brood box and feed them (have queen excluder below to keep the queen in). A more difficult choice if a cast.

Regards, RAB

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Russ, We are not sure of the super is empty of comb, full of comb or if the bees have been in there a while.

Unless the swarm absconds, it is very unlikely to swarm again this year. If the swarm is a prime swarm it will have a laying queen - she'll be laying in a few days. if the swarm is a cast it will have a virgin queen so you may have to wait until she mates before she can start to lay. The donor may be able to advise you on this matter.

Enjoy your bees!

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Russ,

As others have said, you need to know whether this is a prime (with mated queen) or cast (with virgin queen) swarm. What you do next depends on this to some extent. Check to see if there are any recently laid eggs in the cells.

I would have thought it would be difficult to fit a decent prime swarm in a super.

 

[Winker]

Hi Russ,

Im going to jump in feet first here:

IMHO i would say feed them, if there is a flow on in your area it may be coming to an end real soon. You need to get them to draw out the frames in the BB and the bees need food to do that. But don't over feed them either. Try feeding them 1:1 sugar syrup mix just 1 Ltr at a time and see how they get on after a few days.

Time is your enemy at the moment, you need to build the colony up as fast as you can, so its as strong as it can be to have a chance at surviving over winter. If its not a large colony it may be wiser to put them in a poly nuc box instead of a BB. They may over winter better in a smaller space.

 

[enrico]

Depends if your brood is drawn comb. If not then feed, if it is don't bother.
E

 

[Winker]

Depends if your brood is drawn comb. If not then feed, if it is don't bother.
E

i was unaware brood drew comb. Here was me thinking it was the house bees too

 

[enrico]

Might have made sense if I had used the word drawing but drawn comb sounds good to me Tee hee!

 

[rink123]

Thank you all I am going to have a look tonight , the previous owner said to feed them 1 lb of sugar to 1 pint of water also gave me the feeder which was kind. It was quite an experience when I went to collect them although I took my suit he said no need they won't sting us , he had around 9 hives and he opened some to show us, he said don't worry as long as you don't knock them about them won't sting . I have watched them and they are busy foraging I'm so happy with them

 

[gavin]

One wee thing to add - I would delay feeding for a few (3-4) days. There are some bacterial diseases around (foulbrood) which swarms can carry but they generally clean themselves if they use the honey they brought to make wax.

There's no point being paranoid about this but around here it is generally the older beekeepers who end up harbouring American foulbrood in particular. The chances are small but the implications are dire and you can greatly reduce the already small risk by not feeding for a few days.

 

[beeatshellards]

One wee thing to add - I would delay feeding for a few (3-4) days. There are some bacterial diseases around (foulbrood) which swarms can carry but they generally clean themselves if they use the honey they brought to make wax.

There's no point being paranoid about this but around here it is generally the older beekeepers who end up harbouring American foulbrood in particular. The chances are small but the implications are dire and you can greatly reduce the already small risk by not feeding for a few days.

 

[rink123]

Well I did give them some feed but they don't seem to have bothered with it ,they seem to be moving up to the brood box slowly, I haven't looked at there frames yet as I don't want to disturb them too much in case they decide to leave, the man that sold them is not like any other bee keeper I have met he seems at one with nature and I wonder if he would even relate to the question is this a prime or virgin queen , he showed me the branch that he cut down with the swarm on and all the leaves were dead so they must have been in the box a while

 

[drstitson]

"Depends if your brood is drawn comb. If not then feed, if it is don't bother."

to clarify enrico's point for the benefit of the newbie - do the frames in the new empty brood box have drawn comb already (and are therefore good to go) OR as is more likely, do the frames just have sheets of new wax foundation. In this case a feed will help (remember bees need sugar to make wax - a good few kilos for a whole brood box worth.

 

[enrico]

drstitson ... thanks. I should have been more specific. I was just going out and had to type a quick answer. New I could rely on you to clarify things and you have said exactly what I meant.xxxx

 

[rink123]

Thank you all the new brood box has just sheets so they have lots of work to do , the only thing I see in the feed is dead earwigs the bees are in and out all day long with yellow and brownish pollen on their legs

 

[drstitson]

you need to make sure the bees can find the feed - after all there is a big empty box between them and it. dribble syrup down into the hive so they can follow a trail.

 

[rink123]

thanks drstitson I will do that I thought they had fungus because they were coming back with white all on their back . I went to a honey extracting meeting with the SBKA and showed them a bee with the white fungus, I was so pleased when they laughed and said no the bees are feeding on Himalayan Balsam {there's lots near my home} and that's what it is